Peter Troy remembered by Allan Seymour

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Peter Troy remembered by Allan Seymour

photo courtesy Olas Peru

Peter Troy is coming! Peter Troy is coming tomorrow!
These were the words I heard one Fall day in 1965 as I checked the blown out Grand La Plage surf in Biarritz, France.
The day before, I had hitch-hiked into town from Paris to check out Biarritz because John Severson had put a photo of a beautiful French mademoiselle on the cover of SURFER Magazine.

I figured with good-looking girls, and surfing, Biarritz was worth checking out. Very few Americans had ventured there before me.
I had never heard of Peter Troy, but the locals were certainly excited. Seems this Australian surfing nomad had slid into town a year previously, un-announced, and won the Surf Club de France annual surfing contest.
The next morning I met Peter. As we checked the surf at dawn Peter and I talked about where we were from. I told him about my California surfing and lifeguarding experiences. He spoke of his wonderful world travels. Peter said the French surfers were mostly aristocrats from wealthy families in Paris. They tended to sleep in, but were passionate about surfing. Peter said, "Stick with me, and I will introduce you to them."
Shortly, the soon to be famous, 20 year old, Baron Arnaud de Rosnay arrived.



Arnaud was ecstatic to see Peter. Peter introduced us.
Arnaud took us to the surfboard lockers at the Surf Club du France. We were loaned balsa boards shaped by Michel Barland.
Since the surf was blown out, Arnaud organized a wake surfing trip on the Bayonne River. When it was my turn, I jumped up and in the style of my surfing idol I held my arms straight out in front of me with my wrists slightly bent. The French guys in the boat started yelling Phil Edwards, Phil Edwards! Believe me that was the only time anyone ever thought I surfed like Phil.


For the next week we five guys surfed perfect 6 ft. waves alone at the legendary, since dismantled, La Barre lefts, in howling offshore winds.
This was perhaps the greatest surfing week of my life.
This was just another surfing week in the life of the great Peter Troy.
Both Peter, and Arnaud are gone now, however, I remember them, and that week, 43 years ago, like it was yesterday.

Text via : www.surfbooks.com






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